Asian Hornets

[roche]

To their credit the BBKA have spent £15k for posters on the back of buses in Kent, Devon, Southampton & the New Forest to promote ID & reporting of AH. Campaign starts on 25 September; request to DEFRA to help with funding was declined (no surprises there); locations determined by availability of short-notice advertising space.

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A little "stable door"?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

posters on the back of buses

and we all know where that can lead to

 

[roche]

Set up a crowd funded charity for the benefit of UK honeybees with a remit including research and development. Such a body could respond to challenges such as velutina and varroa. Possibly even market subsidized products.

I think that is far too formalised - a single topic, focussed interaction will be quicker. Charities are a nightmare to administer - also, beekeepers being ornary critters, will never agree to anything - so keep it simple.

 

[roche]

To their credit the BBKA have spent £15k for posters on the back of buses in Kent, Devon, Southampton & the New Forest to promote ID & reporting of AH. Campaign starts on 25 September; request to DEFRA to help with funding was declined (no surprises there); locations determined by availability of short-notice advertising space.

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Although the poster campaign is good in itself, they have had how many years to prepare? There is just a lack of credibility there.

 

[rolande]

Let's be honest, the bbka will never be able to get it right, if they do absolutely nothing then beekeeper A will chastise them for being useless if they have a really well organised campaign beekeeper B will accuse them of squandering money on a non issue because the Asian hornets aren't likely to become an issue in the UK. Anything in-between will be too much or too little depending on who we speak to.

 

[roche]

Let's be honest, the bbka will never be able to get it right, if they do absolutely nothing then beekeeper A will chastise them for being useless if they have a really well organised campaign beekeeper B will accuse them of squandering money on a non issue because the Asian hornets aren't likely to become an issue in the UK. Anything in-between will be too much or too little depending on who we speak to.

I don't really want this to get hung up on the BBKA - I would prefer to see the forum as a group do something positive; there is much less inertia to redirect, so it has more ability to potentially do something quickly, if there is the will.

 

[rolande]

I don't really want this to get hung up on the BBKA

That's good to hear

 

[hemo]

During August NBU destroyed 29 nests in Kent /East Sx.
So far this month they state 12 nests destroyed nine in Kent, two in Southampton & one in Hull.

 

[Tony Warren]

During August NBU destroyed 29 nests in Kent /East Sx.
So far this month they state 12 nests destroyed nine in Kent, two in Southampton & one in Hull.

The most up to date report is;
Defra update 22.9.23

So far in 2023 there have been 54 Asian hornet nests found in 44 locations.    

There have been 23 nests found in September to 22nd.

 

[hemo]

My post only concerns the actual nests destroyed to date , we know from updates various other sitings and investigations are in hand but they aren't nests destroyed.
Nests found and nests destroyed are two differing totals plus likely the ones not found which will likely mean a much greater prolification and spread of them in 2024 and the true picture that may affect us going forward.

 

[Erichalfbee]

So why the huge leap?
It must be established and overwintering.

 

[mazzamazda]

Yes no doubt thta will be the case.
Looking at the Andrew Durham PDF for his diy harpe version , roughly pricing up for diy with 50w panels and a better mppt charge controller for our typical weather conditons then one can construct a pair of harps and panels/electrics for a tad under £200 then one needs the battery source so another extra.

None of this extra to protect against V.v is going to come cheap but it is either put up defences of some kind or have no bees if they become prevalent esp in the South/East/West counties.

One expects that if a supplier was to supply a solar harpe kit will be imv over £300. With the solar though the important bit I think will be the charge controller to get as much from the sun (when it shines as possible), mppt's will if aligned with the better mono chrystalline panels be more efficient then the pwm charge controllers and basic panels.

These simply don’t work in Portugal never mind the U.K., again they target foragers, they work their way around the defence, the ones that are shocked are quickly replaced. One splash of rain and they short circuit. It’s a moneymaking scheme same as the traps.

 

[mazzamazda]

Just a note, the 0.25%w/v fibronil specified by madzzmazda is the spray, not the stuff you put on the neck of cats/dogs. That is 10% so you would well overdose the custard and probably kill the dabbed hornet!

Correct, even the 0.25 administered directly will kill. Towards the end of the treating in 2021 I was down to 1 drop in quite a large container of one yolk and sugar, the amount required is minuscule, that would last the entire season.

 

[fian]

These simply don’t work in Portugal never mind the U.K., again they target foragers, they work their way around the defence, the ones that are shocked are quickly replaced. One splash of rain and they short circuit. It’s a moneymaking scheme same as the traps.

The thing is that the harps are another complement, during each time of the year some measures or others are taken. There is no magic formula.

 

[mazzamazda]

Is there not one already in Portugal?
Didn't Mark say in his post that you can buy fipronil custard in a syringe

Yes although I think it was just a backstreet beekeeping supply shop, I seriously doubt it was an officially approved product

 

[mazzamazda]

The thing is that the harps are another complement, during each time of the year some measures or others are taken. There is no magic formula.

Just more expense and a waste of time as far as I’ve seen, the hornets don’t stop, they just move. I was desperate and the way I used worked, I wasn’t at the time bothered about the official way, 1 drop of fipronil in the air per day per 300 hornets didn’t bother me for a second, I didn’t even think about it. My neighbour was busy spraying 50 drops all over her dog, the officials were spraying chemicals 100m radius. Yes my single drop of frontline wasn’t approved but did I care?

 

[fian]

Just more expense and a waste of time as far as I’ve seen, the hornets don’t stop, they just move. I was desperate and the way I used worked, I wasn’t at the time bothered about the official way, 1 drop of fipronil in the air per day per 300 hornets didn’t bother me for a second, I didn’t even think about it. My neighbour was busy spraying 50 drops all over her dog, the officials were spraying chemicals 100m radius. Yes my single drop of frontline wasn’t approved but did I care?

The reason why fipronil is not the solution is in the dosage of its use in pets.
-Two days before and after I could not wash your pet, the reason is so that the poison can act. If the water washes away your pet's product, the dilution of the workers in the nest by sharing the product reduces its effectiveness, which as the first ones succumb reduces the quantity and this will mean that it will not reach the entire nest.
- The treatment should be repeated every 4 or 5 weeks depending on the weight and size of your pet. This means that there will be a period of inactivity for that nest in your apiary, but if you have 3 nests in your area it is evident that it will be a palliative measure and not a definitive one.
If one reviews the data from New Zealand, Argentina and Chile to combat vespa germanica with fipronil bait, one will also realize that they have not eradicated their "invasive exotic species."
I understand their position at that time but with more than 15 years of experience facing "invasive exotic species" it is clear that today it is not an acceptable solution and even less so if it is also ILLEGAL.

 

[mazzamazda]

The reason why fipronil is not the solution is in the dosage of its use in pets.
-Two days before and after I could not wash your pet, the reason is so that the poison can act. If the water washes away your pet's product, the dilution of the workers in the nest by sharing the product reduces its effectiveness, which as the first ones succumb reduces the quantity and this will mean that it will not reach the entire nest.
- The treatment should be repeated every 4 or 5 weeks depending on the weight and size of your pet. This means that there will be a period of inactivity for that nest in your apiary, but if you have 3 nests in your area it is evident that it will be a palliative measure and not a definitive one.
If one reviews the data from New Zealand, Argentina and Chile to combat vespa germanica with fipronil bait, one will also realize that they have not eradicated their "invasive exotic species."
I understand their position at that time but with more than 15 years of experience facing "invasive exotic species" it is clear that today it is not an acceptable solution and even less so if it is also ILLEGAL.

We aren’t trying to kill the workers, only the queen, she is the ONLY target, a small amount will kill her. Once she is gone the nest is finished, the workers redundant and the issue is gone, no queens released and no further issue.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If one reviews the data from New Zealand, Argentina and Chile to combat vespa germanica with fipronil bait, one will also realize that they have not eradicated their "invasive exotic species."

But it’s not a bait that is being used.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’ve watched a zoom conversation on Facebook where a pest controller is using pyrethrum on nests. How dangerous is that if the nest isn’t entirely removed?